Not Applicable
This invention relates to turbine flowmeters and particularly to a turbine flowmeter mounted adjacent an elbow of a conduit.
Turbines are widely used to monitor the flow of fluid through conduits. Typically, the turbine occupies the full cross-section of the conduit so that the entire flow rotates the turbine. Generally, the turbine mounts a permanent magnet whose rotation with the turbine is detected by a Hall-effect sensor disposed adjacent the turbine. The frequency of pulses generated by the sensor directly correlates with the volume of flow through the turbine.
The present invention is directed to a turbine flowmeter which does not occupy the entire cross-section of the conduit in which it is mounted, but which provides an accurate indication of the total amount of fluid flow through the conduit.
In accordance with the invention, a flowmeter includes a conduit having an elbow portion and a straight section downstream of the elbow. A turbine is mounted inside the conduit in the straight section adjacent the elbow portion. The turbine occupies less than the entire cross section of the conduit and is disposed adjacent the side of the conduit which receives the laminar flow exiting from the elbow portion.
Preferably, the turbine is mounted in a structure that is insertable into the conduit. In one embodiment, the structure is inserted through the open end of the straight section. In a second embodiment, the structure is inserted through an opening in the elbow portion.
The turbine contains a permanent magnet, the rotation of which is picked up by a Hall-effect sensor mounted in a cavity in a wall of the conduit.
It is a principal object of the invention to provide a turbine flowmeter that occupies only a portion of the cross-section of the conduit through which the fluid is to flow but which gives an accurate indication of the total flow through the conduit.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the detailed description which follows. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.